The Universalist. [volume] (Chicago [Ill.]) 1884-1897, 1887-07-30


grapes of thorns, or figs of thistles.''
You say you believe in God and
Christ, according to the Universalist
conception. Another says 1 believe in
God and Christ, according to the Bap-
fist or Methodist conception but in
either case if your belief is merely
mental conviction destitute of high
moral purpose and aim, your belief goes
to the devouring fire, with all other like
combustible materials which we mix
and call religion, having not feathers
weight of influence in Gods lawful and
righteous adjustments. Your doctri-
nal beliefs, your denominational afilia-
lions, or your church registry, is of no
sort OF account, only as ii helps you,
aiding you in becoming an intelligent,
morally upright, and spiritually illu-
mined man or woman.
We have abundant reason for bsliev-
ing that great many people of all the
accredited Christian denominations,
consider their beliefs, their professions,
and performances, as kind of heav-
emily collateral security. But all have
at sometime to learn that divine invest
ment is an individual matter, and that
all the proxies and collaterals known to
religion are yalueless, except they are
used by the individual as capital stock
which aids him in doing Godlike,
manlike, and heavenly business in him
self, and consequently for himself.
Without doubt, there are many Uni
versalists, the same as there are people
of other denominations, who think that
because of their benevolent and human
itarian belief, they register high on
the eternal annals. But we shall all
hunt in vain for single UNCONVENTIONAL
name on Gods register. What of de-
velopment of the regal powers which
Fatherly God has germed in your What
of heavenly growth in you, has come of
the earnest and right work in which
you have employed these powers and
faculties of your beingp Such is the
eternal standard by which you, and 1,
and all will be measured and weighed,
not what have you believed, or to
what church did you belong, neither
will our performed duties and prayers
be counted. No: belief in God, and
Christ, simply means the development
and upbuilding within our own soul, of
that which is Godlike and Christlike.
The means through which such intelli-
gent and holy work is accomplished, is
nota matter of any account with heaven;
but because people think it is, they go
either where religion is most noisy and
administrative, or oppositely, where it
is most solemn and sedate, rather than
where there are better opportunities for
increasing intelligence, enlarging and
strengthening moral purpose, and thus
flooding the soul with spiritual life and
light.
They go, and do, from the same mo-
tive that prompted the colored man,
who said he had prayed three times a
day most ever since he was born, so
when he died the Lo'd would seat him
high up above white folks, and give
him the biggest kind of harp. Such
is the quality of belief generated and
popularized in the circles of the modern
evangelist; and it will continue to be
popular, just so long as religious means
are made a substitute for moral and
spiritual ends.
III. Next in order, let us, if possible,
ascertain how much of saving quality
is contained in this kind of belief, for
because it is well nigh universal, and
of popular acceptance, is not to be taken
as assurance of containing very much
of eternal weight and value.
To-day heathenism holds in its en-
brace two-thirds of the inhabitants of
our globe; but because of this large
numerical preponderance, we are not to
accept it for truth. Beliefs are TO be
tested, not by numbers, but by results;
and so we ask, how much of saving re-
suit comes of substituting the external
for the internal in religion ? "He that
believeth shall be saved; he that be-
lievetb not shall be damned, 80 reads
the text. This, says the evangelist, is the
unalterable decree of God; the whole
fraternity say, "Amen." But is
there not something added which is
equally an unalterable decree of God
Read the two verses Immediately fol-
lowing the text, and which qualify it,
by way of setting forth what constitutes
a real believer. "And these signs shall
follow them that believe. In my name
shall they cast out devils, they shall
speak with new tongues; they shall take
up serpents, and if they drink any
deadly thing it shall not hurt them;
they shall lay hands on the sick, and
they shall recover" These are test
signs Of true believing, and equally
with the text are the unalterable utter
anee of God. Now canvass Cleveland
or Norwalk, and among all its professed
saints is there a solitary individual who
would stand the test and live? If acct
dentally bitten by rattlesnake, or
finding themselves to be in inside pos